The Little Things
by nerkles
Summary: Emily Prentiss is new to the BAU team, and is trying to make a good impression on everyone, especially her boss. What happens when Hotch accidentally sees her with her best kept secret? H/P; family. This is my first fic so please review! This summary doesn't really give it justice but read the first chapter to see!
1. Transfer

_Just to clear up a few things: this takes place right when Emily arrives at the BAU. Hotch and Haley are seperated, and Jack is 4 years old. Emily has a similar past to the one she had in the show, just some minor details changed for consistency. She does have a daughter, who you'll meet at the end of this chapter. She will be a major focal point as well. This is H/P, rated T right now for language but may change. I hope you enjoy! Please review, this is my first fic! Thanks! Obviously, I do not own Criminal Minds, I'm only using its characters and story lines for my own creative interpretation. I do however own any characters I create._

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"Hello, Agent Hotchner? I'm Agent Emily Prentiss."

"Oh, hello Agent, wait Prentiss? You're Ambassador Prentiss' daughter right? How are your parents doing? Last time I saw you I believe it was when you were off to Brown, I was the head of security for your mother."

"They're doing fine, thank you. And it was Yale actually, but I've been working here for about 10 years."

"10 years, don't remind me how long it has been," he lightly chuckled. "What can I do for you?" Hotch asked, trying to ease the awkwardness.

"Actually I was hoping you could tell me where I could put my stuff." Emily said matter-of-factly. She pulled out the large stack of her transfer papers from her desk box when she saw the confusion on his face.

"I'm sorry, there has been a mistake. I never approved a transfer. I'm not sure where you got that paperwork, but I have to go now; it was nice seeing you again." He said after Jennifer Jareau, the communication liaison came to inform him of a new case.

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Emily Prentiss was not the type of person to give up, so when she heard the team would be back from St. Louis four days later, she was sure to be in Hotchner's office waiting for him.

"Please tell me you haven't been waiting there for the past four days" Hotch said dryly. This last case was hard emotionally on the whole team, and he was in no mood.

"Of course not, sir. I just wanted to come in and tell you that I don't think it's a mistake hiring me. I don't know how the papers got screwed up, but I really want this job. And I also wanted you to know that my parents did not pull any strings to get me here. I worked hard to get to where I am."

Hotch looked her up and down using his profiling skills while he thought for a moment. She had beautiful dark brunette hair, light ivory skin and dark brown eyes that seemed to reflect his own. He nodded his head.

"We brief cases every morning at 10am. You should talk to HR about getting a desk, you can start Monday."

Emily couldn't help but grin. "Thank you, sir. You won't regret this, I promise."

He watched her as she grabbed her papers and walked out of his office, wondering how she managed to get him to change his mind.

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Once back home to her 3 bedroom open floor apartment, Emily could finally breathe a sigh of relief. When she was a child and all throughout her childhood, she was used to getting just about whatever she wanted. As she got older she realized that was not the life she wanted to live anymore, and decided to work her ass off so she could make a name for herself. She wanted to be "Emily Prentiss, the brilliant FBI agent" not "Emily Prentiss, the Ambassador Prentiss' daughter." Getting the job at the BAU was definitely a step in the right direction.

Her thoughts were interrupted however, by two of her little favorite feet scampering towards her and jumping into her arms.

"MOMMY YOU'RE HOME YEAAAAAYYYY!"

Emily couldn't help but smile. Her almost three year old daughter was the light of her life. Things were difficult trying to transition, finding a job that made both Emily happy and worked with their schedule.

"Hey cupcake! How was your day with Marina?" Marina was their nanny whom Emily loved and trusted, and who had agreed to stay with them even when she found out that Emily would be taking a new job that required a lot more traveling and time away. Marina considered them her extended family, and Emily though of Marina as her only family, that is family who she actually enjoyed being around.

"My day was great mommy! Me and Marina played ALL DAY. She even let me have a cookie BEFORE DINNER." Emily smiled as her daughter ran around the room and back to where she was playing, obviously hyped up on the sugar she had recently consumed.

After saying goodbye to Marina for the night, Emily turned all of her attention to her beautiful little girl. She had long flowing dark hair, with bangs that hit right above her soft ocean blue eyes. Eyes that made Emily sad every time she looked into them, even after almost three years. Her daughter had gorgeous light olive skin that complimented her features perfectly, and dimples that showed whenever she smiled really widely. She was so smart, and had gone through so much in her short life that Emily was astounded, and couldn't be prouder.

Although eager and excited to start her new job, Emily was slightly dreading the next morning. Spending time with her daughter was her favorite thing in the world, and knowing they wouldn't be doing it as much broke her heart just a little bit.

"Come on kiddo it's time for bed, we've got an early day tomorrow!"

After Emily safely tucked her daughter in just the way she liked and read her their favorite bedtime story, she kissed the top of her head and spoke softly to her.

"I love you, Emilia. I'll always love you, don't ever forget that. I'll see you in the morning baby."

 _What do you think? Please review! I have lots of ideas as to where I want this to go, so I will write this regardless as to how many people follow/favorite/review.. but it does help to motivate when I know you are intrigued.. I hope you enjoyed it! I'll update as soon as I can! xx_


	2. Shadow Man

"Everyone this Agent Emily Prentiss, the newest member of our team." Hotch said with his usual stoic voice and serious face as he and Emily walked from his office into the bullpen to greet everyone. "Agent Prentiss this is Agent Derek Morgan, Agent David Rossi, Doctor Spencer Reid, our technical analyst Penelope Garcia, and you've already seen our communications liaison Jennifer Jareau."

"Call me JJ" the thin blonde said smiling while extending her hand towards Emily. She returned the gesture and smiled, thankful that someone was showing some genuine kindness towards her. The team was friendly, of course, but they seemed closed off and a bit hostile towards her. Emily knew of the terms of which the agent, Elle, she was replacing left and how they felt about Agent Gideon's sudden departure, but that didn't mean she had like how the rest of the team was taking it out on her.

After shaking hands and learning what she should call everyone, Hotch interrupted his team by saying they had a case and needed to be wheels up in twenty. It was a kidnapping case, therefore they did not need much extensive background information, and could learn all they needed to know on the plane ride to Maine.

About forty-five minutes into the hour and half plane ride, the team finished going over all of their ideas and reviewing the case and decided that this was the best time to get to know their newest team member.

"Wait wait wait. You can speak how many languages?" Morgan inquired, intrigued after hearing how many countries young Prentiss had lived in while growing up.

"I can speak English, Spanish, French, Italian, Greek, Arabic, I can work my way around Russian, but not well enough to consider myself fluent." She couldn't help a grin when she looked at her new team staring at her with their jaws hanging down. Emily usually didn't like talking about herself, she rarely ever told anyone anything personal. She wasn't afraid to lie in order to protect herself, or her daughter. She had been hurt too many times and knew better than to tell people she just met all about herself.

"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm impressed" JJ said, "So do you have family here? I didn't see a ring on that finger." She added slyly.

That's it. The dreaded question. Emily had planned what she was going to say far in advance, but when faced with it she froze half a beat before composing herself and answering with a small laugh as if she wasn't planning her answer all along,

"Nope, no family here. My mother is living in Jordan or Morocco now, I can't keep up. I don't have any siblings and I'm not from around here. I came to the BAU to go further with my career as a profiler."

Did she feel guilty? Of course she did. She was keeping her daughter from the people she would be spending the majority of her time with, but it didn't matter, it was best. The reasons she was keeping Emilia from the team were mostly selfish, but if they knew she would think they would understand. But then again, she barely knew these people.

Trying to change the subject, Emily brought up something statistical to give the floor to Reid, who she knew would take the attention away from her. As he is rambling about this and that, the team was distracted and Emily couldn't stop thinking about whether or not she made the right choice of not telling the team.

JJ and Garcia didn't have any kids, and they were respected in their positions in the FBI. They were not seen as more "weak" than the men when it came to more sensitive cases, or asked to leave because it seemed like they were investing themselves more when it came to cases that involved children or mothers.

That's why Emily left her last job. When they were reviewing cases and one was more sensitive to Emily's "situation" her boss would tell her to step out so that they didn't upset her, make her nervous for the case, or "derail her trail of thought," because apparently she was only capable of thinking of her daughter while dealing with murder cases. Emily was not weak and she worked too damn hard just to be treated like a little woman who didn't know what she had gotten herself into. The worst part was her boss didn't make the men with children leave.

Finally Emily had enough and decided to leave, and that's when she saw the opening in the BAU. It wasn't her dream position, but it was close. It's the field she wanted to work in, and because it was still a part of the FBI it wasn't difficult to transfer over.

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The case wasn't extremely difficult. It took them about twenty six hours to complete. The team stayed the night and flew out as soon as they could Tuesday afternoon. They managed to get the kidnapped family back together, alive, and the kidnapper surprised the team by surrendering.

The plane ride home was a quiet one, everyone keeping to themselves and bored of asking Emily questions. Derek was sitting in the window seat by himself listening to his headphones, Spencer was hunched in concentration over a game of chess he was playing himself in, David and JJ were having a light conversation in the back, and Hotch was doing the paperwork from the case while sitting across from Emily who was just staring aimlessly out of the window.

For the first time in a few months, things felt normal again for the team. Everyone felt like they could let out the breath they have been holding in without worrying if someone else was going to leave them again.

When they got back to the BAU Garcia was waiting for them with coffee and tea sitting on the table, just the way they liked it.

"I'm sorry Emily I'm not sure how you like your coffee, if you even like coffee, so I figured I'd let you make this time so I'd know for the future."

Emily smiled at her kindness, she could tell she was going to like her. "I like coffee any way I can get. Regular, black, frapp'd, mocca'd, still in bean form, it doesn't matter to me," she said taking the cup Garcia handed her.

"You guys up for drinks later tonight? I heard Rossi's buying." Derek said through is widely grinning mouth.

"Hey now I never said that, you can't trust a word this kid says." Rossi laughed as he spoke. "But I'm up for drinks. Usual place, around seven?" Everyone in the team nodded their agreement, except for Emily.

What was she going to say? According to them she didn't have a family and she didn't know anybody, so she couldn't say she had plans with any of them. She most certainly couldn't tell them that even though she likes them, every second with them is a second away from her daughter. She decided to go with her gut.

"Sorry guys, I'm going to have to take a rain check. I uh... I have a date." Technically a lie, but it wasn't like she was the only who had ever used that excuse before. Luckily the team believed her without a second thought and agreed to do it some other time.

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"There she is! My favorite girl in the whole wide world!" Emily exclaimed with a smile as she hung her coat up and put her keys in the bowl by the front door. She was so happy to be home to spend time with Emilia. Sure, three year olds could be extremely exhausting and lots of parents look for time away, but not Emily. Through the good and the bad, she wanted to be there with her only child.

After relieving Marina of her duties, Emily went to start making dinner. When she finished making the penne a la vodka, chicken, and salad, she sat at the table with Emilia just thinking of how lucky she was to be living a life she never thought she would. Emily never really planned on having any kids, it just dropped in her lap unexpectedly, but she's extremely grateful.

While sitting on the couch watching one of their favorite movies together, The Princess and the Frog, Emilia turned to look at Emily and said, "Momma, why'd you have to leave for the whole night?"

Taken aback by her question, Emily stopped to think. If she thought it was right, she would lie to other people, but she promised herself that she would never lie to her daughter. Trust had always been one of Emily's biggest issues, and she didn't want Emilia growing up the same way.

"Emmy I know it's hard, but when I leave it's because I'm doing something really good. Mommy's job is to catch all the bad guys she can, remember?"

Emilia thought before responding with a smile on her face "Like how Tiana and Naveen try to get away from the shadow guy and then the other shadows take him away? You're like the shadows that get him?"

Impressed by how much she could put together at such a young age, Emily nodded her head. "It's very similar to that! Except I'm a good shadow man trying to save Tiana and Naveen from the bad shadow man. Do you understand now why I have to leave sometimes?"

Content with her mom's answers, Emilia laid down on her lap and started to drift off to sleep. Rubbing her head wither her hand, Emily watched Emilia and thought to herself. She was finally happy, really happy. She was happy before, but with his new job she knew she would fit in perfectly at, she felt a sense of relief. The only hesitation she still had was deciding whether or not she did the right thing in lying to her team about Emilia. _No,_ she thought to herself _. You shouldn't doubt yourself. Your gut instinct told you to do this for you and Emilia. It was the right call._ She hoped so.

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"So what do you guys think of her?" Morgan asked while coming back to their table with their second round of drinks. "I thinks she alright, what about you pretty boy? What do you think?"

"I think she's pretty great. She has an extensive knowledge of profiling, speaks 5 languages, and knows who The Doctor is, which is more than I can say about the rest of you."

"Hey, genius! Ever see the tardis in my lair?" Garcia said defensively.

"Of course I have Garcia, I was talking about everyone else. I know you know who The Doctor is."

Shaking his head, obviously confused about what ever nerdy encounter he just witnessed, Dave Rossi decided to chime in on the original topic.

"Well I may not know who this doctor fellow is, but I know a good team member when I see one. I think Prentiss will be great here, we can trust her."

Everyone nodding their head in agreement, they went about with whatever debate they were discussing previously, content with just being with each other.

 _What did you think? I know you all want to know who Emilia's father is but I thought I should establish some things before we move on to that whole part of the story (which is coming very soon). Just so you know, I do know that when Emily started Gideon was there, but I absolutely despise both the character and the actor who plays him so I would have no idea how to write him. Please review and tell me what you think! I hope you're still intrigued!_

 _Holy smokes! Since this is my first story I get excited over the little things (haha the title whoops) and seeing the amount people in different countries have viewed it is UNREAL. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed, you made me grin like an idiot all day. I will probably be updating on a pretty consistent basis, I can't promise to do it two nights in a row like I'm doing now, but I can try! Haha. I don't have a regular sleep schedule so I'm up most of the night either watching Netflix or on Tumblr, so I might as well be useful with my time and write :)_

 _I hope you enjoyed it!_


	3. Asian Noodles

Besides the first trip to Maine, Emily's first two weeks at the BAU was fairly uneventful. The team spent all their time between their desks in the bullpen, briefing cases in the conference room, and sending out profiles to police stations. Despite the lack of traveling, the team was still fatigued from all the paperwork they had to keep up with, and they were looking forward to the end of the week and their weekend off.

The team had grown to really like Emily; she was like the missing piece that made their team a family. During the day they would find themselves at her desk just because they enjoyed her company, asking her to lunch and making jokes over coffee in the break room.

Emily had also felt right at home with the team. She loved that even after a short amount of time she already had a special connection with each member. Her friendship with JJ was growing every moment, they were constantly laughing and sharing with each other. With Reid and Penelope, she loved that she could finally show her nerdy parts within. Her love of certain comic books and series has often been a struggle for Emily, most of her previous friends couldn't relate and never made an effort to. There was never a dull moment when she was with Derek, they already had nicknames for each other, and had somehow fallen into a playful flirtatious banter, even though they weren't attracted to one another. And David Rossi was like the godfather of the group, always looking out for everyone, Emily included. He seemed to genuinely care when he asked her how her day was going.

And then there was Hotch. For some reason, Emily couldn't get him out of her head. She assured herself that it was _maybe_ a crush, at best. There was just something about him that kept Emily interested.

She loved how his face told his story. The way he was so serious all the time, Emily knew it couldn't be who he really was.

Anytime they popped up, she had to shake the thoughts from her head. She couldn't have even a small amount of feelings for her boss! His slowly blossoming friendship and profiling mentoring meant more to her than a maybe crush.

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At the end of the day on Friday, Emily grabbed her coat and the files she was going to be working on over the weekend and started to head towards the elevators. There was one case in particular that she was looking forward to looking at after Emilia goes to bed.

After making plans for dinner and drinks the following night, Emily said goodbye to each member of the team, her voice getting caught in her throat when Hotch flashed her a grin and reciprocated the goodbye.

When she arrived home, she was received with a warm smile from Marina and hug that never seemed to end from Emilia. Emily smiled with her whole face, never bored with her daughter's reaction to her homecoming. After Marina left and Emily got changed in to her red flannel pajama pants and spaghetti strap tank top, they decided to embark on their Friday night tradition and order take out. Per usual, Emilia voiced her opinion on exactly what she wanted.

"Asian noodles mommy! We got pizza last time." She whined.

Emily called Green Garden, the best Chinese delivery place within twenty miles. As they waited the twenty-five to thirty minutes it would take to get to their apartment, Emily and Emilia decided to engage in a game of Uno.

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As Hotch was leaving the office, last as usual, he noticed a file sitting on Prentiss' desk. As he read through it, he realized it was the one that she was talking about in the break area about taking home to work on. He was conflicted. Does she know that she doesn't have it? Obviously not, otherwise she would have turned around to get it. Should he leave it here for her to get? Well, the team had off for the weekend so it was unlikely she would come all the way back for it. There was really only one reasonable answer he could think of, drop it off at her apartment.

He couldn't help the twinge he felt in his stomach when he thought about it. He didn't have deep feelings for her that was for sure. But he felt _something,_ he just wasn't sure what. She just had this way about her, the way she was always so kind and funny, and how she fit in perfectly with the team. Hotch would go to the end of the earth for his team, they had been there through the separation and recent divorce with Haley, the custody battles over Jack, and all of the awkward first dates afterwards.

Not to mention, she was stunning. Uncharacteristically stunning. She had medium length dark brunette hair, almost black, and brown eyes that he got lost in whenever he looked into them. Her skin was light compared to her dark features, she had a tall and slender body that he knew had a lot more physical strength than she let on.

Stopping himself from going any further down that path, he finally pulled up outside of her apartment building, having gotten her address from her file. Maybe a little bit creepy, but he pushed the thought from his mind as he ascended the front steps into the building to the first floor.

Reaching her door, he took a deep breath in. He wasn't nervous, was he? No, of course not. He had no reason to be. He was there as her boss, and as her boss he wanted her to get her work done. Maybe he wouldn't say it exactly like that, but along those lines. Sighing, he rapped his fist on her door and then waited.

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"UNO!" Emilia squealed with pleasure, finally seeing that she only had one card while her mother had more than her hand could hold.

"Great job Emmy! You beat me yet again, we'll have to rematch again later."

Delighted with her answer, Emilia nodded her head furiously up and down, but stopped suddenly when she heard the door knock.

"ASIAN NOODLES!"

Laughing, Emily instructed Emilia to wait by the door so she could go get her wallet from her bedroom. Only hearing the 'go to the door' part of her mother's sentence, Emilia walked up to the door and promptly opened it.

Stunned to see it wasn't who she was expecting, she looked at the figure in the doorway and stated matter-of-factly, "you're not my Asian noodles."

She left the door open while she turned around to go inside to find her mother, oblivious to the man's expression of utter shock.

"Mommy! It's not the noodle man!" she yelled from just a few steps in the front door.

 _Mommy?_ Did he have the right apartment? He was sure it was this one, but he could be wrong. His thoughts were running at lightning speed trying to think of different scenarios where this could possibly make sense. However, his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by someone else walking towards the door.

"Emmy honey I told you to wait by the door not open it." Emily barely got those last few words out for when she looked up from her daughter she saw who was standing in her doorway.

Hotch.

Unlike Hotch, her mind was blank. She couldn't form a single word, she wasn't even sure she remembered how to breathe.

What was he doing here?

Luckily, Emilia had enough of the silence and decided to chime in. "Momma who is he? He doesn't have any noodles. Why is he here? Is he the new delivery man?" She turned to look at Hotch and asked him with the most serious face she could create "Are you a new noodle delivery man?"

Stuttering to get her answer out, Emily realized she had to say something.

"Emilia honey why don't you go play? This is my, uh, my boss, not the delivery man. I promise I'll call you in when he gets here."

Pleased with her mother's response, she skipped out, still unaware of the awkwardness that was steadily filling the room. Emily watched her go for as long as she could, so she didn't have to face Hotch.

Clearing her throat, she turned to look at him, trying to get a read on his face before she said anything, but she couldn't figure it out. She didn't know him long enough to know all of his tells, which is unfortunate because they would have come in extremely handy right now.

"So, Sir. I, erm, suppose you have a lot of questions now, do you want to come in?"

 _What did you guys think? I hope you enjoyed this one! This is the start of the H/P story line, obviously it starts out a little rocky._

 _Thank you SO MUCH for all of your reviews, favorites, and follows! It honestly means the world to me. Please continue to read and review!_

 _Just a side note, I wrote this in one sitting from 11pm to 1am, so any mistakes I apologize. I went to school all week this week (which may not sound like a big deal to you, but it is huge to me) so I decided to let myself write a little later than usual :) Even though its 1am and I have class in the morning (on a Saturday boo)_

 _If you have any ideas, let me know! I have a good idea of where I want this to go, but you never know, something you suggest may be even better!_


	4. Got Her

_Sorry it took me awhile to update! I had an English paper due (ugh) and just have had some life stuff going on this week. On the upside I got my drivers permit today so yay! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!_

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Emily ushered her boss inside, and closed the door behind them. This was mortifying. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't decide if they should sit in the living room on the couch, or in the dining room at the table. The dining room would definitely be more appropriate, but realizing halfway there that it was unusually cluttered with her daughters belongings, she opted for the couch.

They sat on opposite sides, not really looking at each other. They were both so confused on what to do. Who was supposed to start the conversation? Hotch, realizing how uncomfortable and guilty his employee's face was, decided to initiate.

"So, you have a daughter that you didn't tell us about." He said with a hint of accusation in his voice. Emily didn't miss his tone and said without hesitating,

"I had my reasons for not telling the team, with all due respect sir that is my decision. She's my daughter."

Hotch apologized, saying how he was just caught off guard, and of course it's her decision. But doesn't she trust the team? He couldn't understand why she would keep something as big a child from everyone. Emily tried to explain that it was deeply personal, and that Emilia was one of the hardest areas of her life to talk about.

Emily hated talking about anything personal with anyone, and especially showing emotion in general. But somehow she had trusted Hotch from early on, and she felt like she could open up to him. She took a chance.

"Sir, I really am sorry I didn't tell you about her when we first talked about it. It's- it's just taken a lot to get to where I am with her and I really love my job here. I didn't want to risk either one." She looked down as she spoke, picking at her finger nails. It was a nasty habit she's had for as long as she could remember.

Hotch spoke kindly back to her, less like a boss and more like an old friend. He told her that there was no reason to apologize, she had her reasons and she had to go with her gut. He wanted her to know that he trusted her in all of her decisions, not just the work ones. He, however, wished that she trusted him and the team enough to tell them more about her.

Emily stopped picking at her nails to think. She really was alone, besides Emilia she didn't have anyone she was close with. Never had stable friends, her mother was who knows where, and she always looked at her job as a job, not a social opportunity. She should give this team a chance, they seemed to like her and she was beginning to trust them, well Hotch at least.

Hotch and Emily met eyes, gazing into what they could only describe as vulnerability. For some unknown reason he felt this undeniable pull to know more about her.

Their stare was interrupted by a doorbell, and a hungry Emilia running towards the door. Glancing an apologetic look towards Hotch, Emily stood up to follow her. Realizing that this must have been the noddle man Emilia was looking for earlier, Hotch couldn't help it when a small grin creeped across his face.

After Emilia had settled in her chair and Emily insisting on Hotch staying for dinner so they could finish talking, they sat down to eat dinner. Emilia was thrilled to have another person at the table, someone else she could entertain.

One long and semi-awkward meal later, they had resumed their places on the couch, a little closer this time and with a glass of wine. Both of them felt slightly uncomfortable at how unprofessional this was, but somehow they didn't mind. With Emilia winding down watching a movie in another room, Hotch didn't hesitate to ask about her. After spending the evening with them he just wanted to know everything about them. They had one of the best mother daughter dynamics he had seen in a long time.

Hotch started with light questions, asking simple things like Emilia's favorite things to do or her favorite color. But he was slowly getting more and more anxious to ask the real questions he wanted to know. When he finally did, he was one and a half wine glasses in and Emily wasn't surprised at all.

"How did you do it? Alone I mean." Hotch said, looking straight at Emily.

She thought for a moment before responding, "What makes you think I did it alone? Just because I'm alone right now, doesn't mean I was then. I had a lot of help when I first got her, all single parents have someone to help."

Hotch analyzed her before replying, "You said 'got her'. What did you mean by that?"

Emily allowed a small smile slide onto her face. "When I got her is when I adopted her. She was 7 months old, so small for her age. She was the sweetest baby. She had the same eyes she does now, those ocean colored blue eyes." She looked straight at him waiting for a reaction.

Hotch had thought the big surprised of the night ended when he found out Prentiss had even had a daughter. Now to find out that that daughter was adopted? He wasn't sure how much more his expressionless face could handle.

"What made you want to adopt a baby? And does Emilia know about it?"

Emily nodded her head and told Hotch that of course she had explained to Emilia that although she didn't come from her, she was hers just as much as any other baby was to their parents.

Hotch looked at Emily, surprised at how strong she was. He knew that there was something she wasn't telling him, but he wouldn't push it. She would tell him when he was ready, she had told him this much already. He decided to let it go, to switch the topic of conversation when he realized what time it was. Even though it was only half past eight on a Friday, he was still at a co-workers house with a bit of alcohol in his system. Emily however, didn't seem to notice the time for that reason, only realizing that she had to get Emilia ready for bed.

Hotch nodded, agreeing to himself that he would leave after Emily got back from putting her to bed. He expected it not to take long, she was half asleep on the floor of the adjacent room watching a movie he could presume she had seen at least ten times. However instead of Emily scooping her up and taking her to her room like he had expected, she woke her up and walked her into the kitchen fully awake. He could only see what was happening when he craned his neck, but he was almost positive he knew what she was doing in there. But the question still remained, why?

Hotch couldn't help his curiosity get the best of him, Emily was taking over control. In just one night she had thrown him many curveballs he would usually be able to see before the thought was even there. He needed to know more, everything, about her and her daughter.

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 _Wait, what? Talk about curveball! I really hope you guys enjoyed this and you weren't expecting this… but in the good way? What was she doing in the kitchen? Who did she adopt her from? SO MANY QUESTIONS. All will be addressed, I promise. Please let me know what you thought in the reviews?It means the world to me :) Also I know this was a bit shorter, but I felt this was a more natural place to cut it off. I had it longer but it felt weird where I stopped it._

 _Also, I'm going to start maybe writing one shots I get any prompts, you guys can check out my profile description page thing for more information about that._


	5. Here to Stay

She knew he was watching her, but she didn't mind. For once she didn't feel the need to keep everything from everyone, it was nice to have someone who she could talk to about her daughter.

After she tucked her daughter into bed, Emily walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch next to Hotch. She tried to read his stoic face, tried to see what he was thinking. But he was blank. She suddenly felt nervous. Had she revealed too much?

Hotch looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile, picking up on her nerves. He asked her if he could know about Emilia, why they went into the kitchen before she went to bed. He didn't want to cross a line, but they were so intriguing that he didn't care if he seemed pushy.

Emily nodded in agreement, saying of course he could know. She had purposefully made noise while she was in there, secretly hoping that he would ask. Until Hotch showed up at her door she hadn't realized how few people she has to talk to. Even most of the people who know about Emilia don't know what she's about to tell him, and she's nervous again.

"Emilia has epilepsy, and has to take medicine twice a day. That's what you saw me doing in there with her. We have this routine that after she takes her dose, she can put a sticker on the chart and once she gets a certain amount, she can get some sort of prize." She held her breath, waiting to see his reaction, yet again. She didn't want his pity, which is the way everyone else reacted. Her daughter was sick, but it was not the end of the world. They were both strong and gone through a lot together despite only being with each other for about two years.

He wasn't sure how to react. He had suspected by the noises and few words he heard that Emilia was taking medicine, but he wasn't sure what it was for. Knowing that it was epilepsy and that it was controlled made him feel oddly good, he had just met the girl and he already felt protective of her.

They sat and talked for some time after that, mostly about Emilia and Aaron's son, Jack. They didn't bring up anything else deep, leaving the night with light conversations about nothing important.

At around ten o'clock, they decided that it would be best if Hotch left, and they proceeded to the door. Emily began to apologize again, but he cut her off. He explained to her that even though she didn't tell him, he trusted her and her judgement. She did what she thought was best for her family, and he respected that. He smiled a large smile at her that she immediately reciprocated, hoping that it covered the blush that was quickly spreading across her face.

After exchanging a quick goodbye and a realization that they would be seeing each other tomorrow night at dinner with the team, she leaned on the door and watched him leave down the hallway. After she closed the door she couldn't help when a goofy grin was plastered across her face.

As Hotch made his way home he reflect on that nights events. He had forgotten why it is that he was even at Emily's house. After remembering that it was to drop off a file, he shook his head and smiled. He had been so dumb to get wrapped up in her, but he couldn't help himself. He let his mind wander while he laid in bed, restless to fall asleep. He couldn't get her out of his head.

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The next night at dinner wasn't as awkward as she thought it would be. They got to O'Lorie's Pub and Grille at different times, and nobody seemed to notice Hotch's eyes when he saw Emily walk in about ten minutes late. He had arrived fourth, after the always first Garcia and JJ and Spencer arrived together. Waiting for her to walk in, Hotch couldn't help but stare at the door. When she finally did, he greeted her with a smile, easing the tension immediately.

They all laughed and gossiped, mostly with Emily. This was her first official outing with them, and she loved just absorbing everything the team was saying. She loved watching how they interacted with each other, and how not a minute went by without someone laughing.

In the back of her mind Emily couldn't get rid of the guilt. It wasn't as big as it was previously, thanks to Hotch, but it was still there. But after several glances back and forth with him she was feeling better and better. If he could understand, why wouldn't the team? It's not like she planned on telling them anytime soon, she thought to herself.

By the end of the night, they were buzzed and giddy with laughter. They were trying to tell Emily a Spenc story, but JJ kept interrupting them with her laughter. They finally gave up trying to tell her and just laughed it off.

A little too late that night, they all said their goodbyes one by one. Rossi was the first to go, claiming that he's 'too old for this shit'. Next to go was Hotch, he was spending the day with Jack tomorrow. Emily gave him a small smile, and as he was making his way around the table he placed a hand on her back while waving to the rest of the team. His simple gesture sent chills through her body, she was sure that he felt it. She managed to hide her blush when she turned around and watched him walk out the door. Damn. Why couldn't she stop herself?

Finally, it was just Derek and Emily left at the table. He looked at her and asked,

"So Princess, you think you'll stick around here for a while?"

She smiled. She didn't even have to think about her answer.

"Yeah. I think I am. Plus, it's not like I would ever want to stop looking at you. You're too handsome to leave behind."

He smirked, satisfied with her answer. Emily Prentiss was here to stay.

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 _I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it's kinda crazy with Emilia and stuff but it all comes together, let me know what you thought!_

 _COULD YOU GUYS DO ME A HUGE FAVOR. So in bio is my tumblr page! It's at the bottom of my profile bio thing, so if you have a tumblr I would REALLY appreciate a follow. My name there is xxlawless if enough people follow and interact and stuff I'm going to take prompts and submissions! Check it out :)_

 _As always please review! They make my day when I see them!_


	6. I'll drive

Several weeks went by and they was stronger than ever. Emily was a part of the team, a part of their family. They all loved having her there with them, they barely remembered a time without her.

Emily was growing especially close to Aaron. Their friendship was something she could have only dreamed of having. During the day, they were friendly coworkers. But when it came to after hours they spent many of their nights together, having dinner and conversing. Even when Aaron had Jack, they would have playdates with the kids. Both the kids and adults love spending time with one another.

She still felt butterflies whenever she saw him flash her a smile, or when he accidentally grazed his hand over hers. She couldn't help herself. He was extremely supportive of her, keeping her personal life to himself. He never spoke of their outside plans at work, because he didn't want the team accidentally finding something out, much like he did. They knew of their friendship, just not the extent of how deep it really went.

He loved spending time with her. He wanted to be with her as much as possible, just being in her presence made him feel better. With her he was home. He felt comfortable and happy, like he could be himself around her. Since the beginning of his separation, and even before that if he's being honest with himself, he felt alone and closed off. After Haley left him he tried to find himself but it was difficult, everything was changing and he couldn't keep up. But Emily was different, he felt good with her.

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On Wednesday morning, Emily dropped Emilia off at her day care just like she did every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Emilia hadn't really been feeling well that morning, but had been a trooper and went anyway.

"I'm so proud of you Emmy." Emily had told her daughter. Emilia smiled up at her mother and walked through the doors, already feeling better.

Emily's work day was going by painstakingly slow. After their usual meeting in the conference room they all went about their day at their separate desks, all having a mountain of paperwork. They practically jumped out of their chairs when it was time for lunch, even Hotch.

"Hey look who it is. Hotch you joining us for lunch?" Morgan said with his usual playful tone.

He just flashed the team one of his rare smiles and nodded his head. They were all gathered in their usual spot in the bullpen around Emily and Derek's desks.

"Alright boss man! Since this is the rare occasion that you join us, you get to pick where we get our food from." Penelope stated.

He put on a fake deep thinking face, making the team laugh. He was trying to choose carefully, he knew what he chose would determine whose good side he would be on.

Just as he was about to answer, he heard a phone ringing. He instinctively reached for his pocket but realized it wasn't his ringtone, but Emily's.

It was a number she didn't recognize but she answered anyway.

"Hello?" "Yes this is she."

Those were the only things Aaron heard her say before he saw her face drain of all color. He instinctively stood up straighter, preparing himself.

It got the teams attention, and they immediate became silent and stared at her. They could tell that the person on the phone was still talking and Emily was only absorbing information, they were waiting in anticipation for what was going to come but Hotch had a feeling he already knew.

She said "I'm on my way" into the phone, and hung up. She looked straight into Hotch's eyes with her own slowly welling up eyes and said,

"It's Emilia."

Those were the only words he needed to hear before he jumped straight into action mode. He took two large steps across the circle of profilers and stood in front of Emily, much closer than necessary but not close enough.

"I'll drive." He stated simply

The team was dumbfounded. They looked at each other questioning, _had we missed something?_ When Emily and Aaron started walking toward the elevator with car keys they knew somebody had to speak up.

"Did we miss something? Who is Emilia?" Rossi said, calling after the swift walking agents.

Emily's mind was only thinking about her daughter. She couldn't care less what they thought, she just had to get to her.

"It's my daughter." She said to the team, turning around before she could see the look on their faces.

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Emily wouldn't let herself cry, not yet anyway. When she got in the elevator with Hotch she told him about the phone call.

"That was her daycare calling. Emilia started seizing while she was there."

He put his arm around her, enveloping her into a warm hug. He couldn't tell her it was going to be okay, because he didn't know. All he could do was be there for her.

She immediately reciprocated the hug, feeling warm touching him. They stayed silent, embraced in a hug the entire elevator ride. Despite what was going on she actually felt better. When the elevators doors dinged they started to disentangle themselves, only to be greeted by a slightly huffy Morgan.

"You have a daughter? What the hell Prentiss?"

Hotch immediately shut him down. He told him it wasn't his place to question her, especially right now.

"She's in the hospital, Derek." She said, trying to contain herself. They were already in the parking garage and she could hear the rest of the team starting to catch up behind them. She didn't have the patients to deal with anyone, so she just climbed into the passenger seat, silently giving Hotch the cue to get in the car and start driving.

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 _I am SO sorry it took me so long to update. I've had a lot of really bad personal stuff come up that I've had to deal with while also trying to do school stuff, which by the way is kicking my ass. I promise it'll get better!_

 _I hope you liked this chapter. I know it's a little short but I think a lot went down so we get to see how that all turns out next. Please review and let me know what you think! Also, don't forget my tumblr is xxlawless if you want to check it out._


	7. The Accident

_**A little over two years ago…**_

" _Ma'am you can't go in there."_

" _I'm a federal agent the hell I can't go in there."_

" _Ma'am please it's not a good idea for you…"_

 _But she didn't let him finish. She was pushing past the doctor and into the area surrounded by a flimsy curtain._

" _Why is nobody helping him?! Somebody help them!" she was practically screaming now._

" _Ma'am please leave. I assure you we're doing our best but you yelling at our doctors isn't helping move anything along. I'll give you an update as soon as I know something." And the doctor firmly escorted Emily away from the horrible sight and into the waiting room, where she paced._

 _This was a dream. It had to be a dream because there was no way that this was real. Emily sat down on the chair and bounced her leg up and down and up and down. She was so nervous. She couldn't get the sight out of her head, the people she loved just lying there._

 _What seemed like a lifetime passed before the doctor finally emerged from behind the double doors, pulling off a scrub cap in the process. She stood immediately up and walked as quickly as she could to face the doctor._

" _I am so sorry to say Agent Prentiss that I don't have good news. The adult female died almost as soon as we took her into the operating room, the male is alive but extremely unstable, I'm not sure if he'll make it through the night. And the infant has severe head trauma, it was a terrible car accident."_

 _Emily just stood there with her mouth slight hung open._

" _Rebecca, Matthew, and Emilia." She said so softly she wasn't even sure she said it._

" _I beg your pardon, ma'am?"_

 _She said it again louder this time, growing angrier the longer the doctor was standing there. "That's their names. You should know you're patients' names."_

 _What happened next was a blur for Emily. She somehow made it into Matthew's room, where she saw him hooked up to and incredible amount of machines, most of which were constantly beeping. He looked pale and fragile, a way that she wasn't used to seeing him. She sat down in the chair next to his bed, mind still buzzing. A nurse had informed Emily that the infant was in a separate room in the pediatric intensive care unit if she wanted to visit her. But all she could do was sit and stare at him. What the hell happened?_

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 _She was escorted out of the hospital room by a nurse around three am to sign paperwork for the insurance companies. She still couldn't believe that this was happening, and it was all her fault. They were in the car because of her. They got into the accident because of her. Rebecca died because of her. She couldn't get the thoughts out of her head._

" _Agent Prentiss I need you to sign here, initial here, and sign here."_

 _Emily did as she was told, not bothering to reading what was on the papers. The nurse sensed that there was something off about Agent Prentiss, something besides the worry that normal people have when she takes them out of a patient's room in the ICU._

" _Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking, are you alright? Something looks like it's troubling you."_

 _If glares could kill then then the nurse would be long dead. "Of course something is troubling me. My best friend is probably going to die, his wife is dead, and their baby is laying somewhere with a head trauma! Would you be alright if you were me?"_

 _She immediately regretted her words after she saw the nurse blush and turn sheepish._

" _I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I'm just on edge from tonight and I haven't slept in a really long time. I should thank you for your concern."_

" _No apologies needed, it was a calculated risk asking you. Most of the people I see just have one family member sick, I didn't know about your other loved ones, I'm so sorry. My name is Brenda if you ever need anything." She gave a small smile and walked swiftly away, leaving Emily standing there with the pen still in her hand._

 _She decided that she needed some coffee, so she headed down stairs to 24 hour Starbucks and ordered the drink with the most caffeine she could think of. After she got her drink she rode the elevator back up to the ICU floor where the realization of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. She promised herself when she first heard about the accident she wouldn't cry until things were in a stable place, but being alone in elevator with her thoughts was too much handle. She hit the stop button on the elevator and slid down against the wall, clutching the coffee for warmth while she let the tears flow freely._

 _After a good ten minutes she managed to drag herself off of the floor and ride the elevator the rest of the way up. She decided that she would check on the baby, suddenly feeling another rush of guilt._

 _After checking with as many doctors as she could get her hands on, Emily relished in the news that the kid was going to be alright._

" _We'd like to keep her for a few days for further observation to monitor changes, but in the long run we think she'll be fine. Little Emilia is a fighter." the on call PICU doctor said. Emily nodded her head and said they were in no rush to leave, mostly because the baby's father was still in critical condition._

 _As Emily took the long way across the ICU floor, wanting to delay getting to Matthew's room as long as she could. Seeing him made her feel awful, and then she felt selfish for even thinking of herself while was laying there quite literally dying. She walked most of the way with eyes glazed over and not really paying attention to where she was going, lost in her thoughts. Because of this she didn't notice something was happening until she almost slammed right into one of the nurses._

 _As she allowed herself to assess the situation she could feel the pit of her stomach growing tighter than it's ever been before. Emily has always had great instincts, always been able to think quickly on her feet and know what the other persons next four moves are before she even knows her own. But in this moment all she can do is stop and stare, being completely useless and providing a roadblock in the flow of traffic in and out of the room._

 _Helplessly, she stood in the door frame as the medical staff repeatedly tried to resuscitate Matthew. They seemed to have been at it for several minutes, because only a few people were moving inside of the room. She saw as the doctor who was holding the paddles put them down, hanging his head as he uttered words that sounded vaguely like a time._

 _The last thing she remembers is feeling the wetness of the coffee on her feet from the cup she dropped before it all went dark._

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I really liked doing the flashback- there will be some more coming up soon

Could you guys review? For some reason I stopped getting reviews… and I love reading them-the good and the bad. Much appreciated


	8. Sandwhiched

_Present…_

The team was standing outside of the hospital room, watching who they thought was their dorky, sarcastic, badass federal agent lay in bed with a small child with tears running down her face. It was a sight they never imagined. Rossi, Reid, JJ, and Garcia were all looking through the glass, while Morgan was pacing, unable to look at the sight before him. Hotch was just leaning against the door, trying to sort through his frequent and racing thoughts.

The team had arrived not long after Emily and Hotch. When they did however, Emily was already in full blown mom-crisis mode, talking to every doctor she could get her hands on.

But that was hours ago.

Now all they could do was wait. Wait for Emily to talk to them, wait for her daughter to wake up, wait for any news.

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Emily Elizabeth Prentiss had never been more worried in the past few hours than she had been in her entire life. Her baby girl was sick, again, and she couldn't help her. She knew that there was a chance that this would happen, but never thought that it would. Not to her.

When Emily and Aaron arrived to the hospital and the initial chaos had subsided, they were moved out of the emergency room and into the ICU where Emilia could be further evaluated. Emily knew that the team was just a few minutes away at this point, but she didn't care. Right now all that mattered was her daughter, and the team would be something she dealt with when she had the energy.

"Emilia Emily Prentiss. Age is almost three. History of head trauma which resulted in trauma induced epilepsy. No known medication allergies and is currently only taking one prescription for the previous seizers." The resident doctor stated to the quickly filling room full of young looking doctors-probably interns.

Emily wanted to listen, she really did, but hearing all the talk of the brain waves and how they misfire and the rapid question and answering had her in a haze. But this was her daughter, she needed to be nothing more than a mother to her. So she waited to hear what the treatment plan would be, and she would just go from there. The doctors decided that since Emilia was still unconscious, they would put her on a continuous EEG machine and monitor her brain waves.

They came in just a few minutes later, and started setting up the wires that connected to Emilia's head. The wires transmitted the waves from her brain and sent them through a wire and to a computer, where it would be monitored by a doctor at all times.

Emily stood and watched as the tears fell. She couldn't help them, not anymore. And she didn't care that they were there, her toddler was unconscious and attached to countless machines.

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Aaron Hotchner did not get overwhelmed easily, but he was overwhelmed. He was completely out of his element and from the time he entered the hospital, he had no idea what to do for Emily or Emilia. He never had a sick kid, Jack had only been to the hospital one time as a baby when he had a severe cough. Emily was visibly tense and anxious, but he could tell that she knew how to handle the situations ahead. They may not have known what was wrong with Emilia or what was going to happen, but Emily looked like she could handle it. However she looked like she could handle anything.

He was sitting on a chair on one side of Emilia's hospital bed, with Emilia laying close to him and Emily laying on the other side in the bed. She was holding her in her arms, stroking her daughters arm and occasionally kissing the top of her head, pleading her to wake up. Aaron was holding Emily's other hand, unconsciously rubbing circles with his thumb. At one point he scooched his chair closer to the bed and laid his head on the mattress, with Emilia sandwiched between him and Emily. This was the best part of Emily and Aaron's current relationship, they could comfort each other without words, and they both knew it.

This was the position they were in when the team finally showed up. They were surprised, nonetheless, to find their colleagues in this close and domesticated of a position. But the biggest surprise of the day had already been taken, so they pushed it aside. Aaron was the one to see them first, Emily's eyes were too blurred by tears to recognize the figures. He got up and made his way cautiously to the door, not before he made sure Emily didn't want to see them.

"You guys don't have to be here. There's nothing you can do, you should go." He said, trying not to look at the pained faces of his close friends and employees. It was Garcia who spoke up first.

"Don't have to be here?! This is Emily we're talking about. We're not leaving her when she clearly needs us." She could barely get the words out because of the tears that had started to run down her cheeks and her voice that had begun to crack. Garcia had always been emotional and she was always extremely protective of her team.

Derek just looked angry, he had the same half surprised half complete rage face he had when they left him in the parking garage. It was clear that he wasn't taking Emily's-and now Aaron's-lying very well.

JJ hadn't said a word, which isn't surprising. She and Emily had grown close throughout her time at the BAU and to not know that Emily had a daughter was well, surprising. Aaron registered that it wasn't just anger he saw in her face, but sadness.

It was obvious that Rossi had a lot to say, especially to Aaron. He was like a father to Emily, and was one of Aaron's best friends. He knew the most of Aaron and Emily's relationship, it doesn't take a profiler to realize how Aaron talks about her and the way he looks at her means more than friendship.

Reid was most the concerned. He was a doctor, after all. He didn't need to see the chart or even be in the room to know the situation wasn't ideal.

"Hotch, what's going to happen to her?" JJ barely mumbled out.

"I…I can't really…Emily…" he stammered. He knew he wasn't supposed to tell them, per Emily's requests.

"Oh cut the bullshit, Hotch! Stop trying to protect her, we already know her big secret, we might as well know the rest and help if we can." Morgan countered.

Hotch was slightly taken aback by this outburst, but this of course didn't show. He just nodded his head, with a slight tilt suggesting they go to the waiting room. He sighed before he continued,

"I can only tell you the bare minimum, Emily doesn't even want you to know that much. Her daughter, Emilia, has a seizure disorder that was a result of some sort of head trauma, I'm not sure what. Because of this she developed epilepsy and there was a risk that it could get worse, like it just did. She had a terrible seizure today and is now unconscious, the doctors aren't sure why yet. That's really all I know and that I can tell you, I'm sorry. I should get back." With this Hotch stood from the group and slowly started back towards Emilia's room, but not before getting stopped by Morgan.

"Hotch, wait. Is she going to be okay? The kid, I mean. And I guess Emily, too. Are they going to be okay?"

"I don't know, it's out of our control right now. But I do know that Emily needs her friends. She made a decision not to tell you about her daughter, and now that you know you can't be an asshole about it, Derek. I mean it. Besides the obvious, she's completely devastated about what's happened today, she feels really bad about lying to everyone."

He just puffed out his chest, nodded and left, not before adding with a smile "Prentiss and the Boss Man, I like it."

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 _I am SO SORRY that this took so long. I encourage you all to look at my profile page, I explain why it sometimes may take me a while to update. Thank you for your support! I promise the next update will be quicker._

 _I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I decided to come back to the present, but the next chapter it might be back to the past, there's a lot of unfished E &E business to take care of. _

_As always PLEASE review! A huge thank you to everyone who did! You are AMAZING and reading them helped me so much, and made me smile when it was hard to, so thank you for taking the time!_


	9. Chapter 9

Authors Note: October 12th, 2015. Happy Birthday, Emily Prentiss. Hope you're doing well over in London! BAU deeply misses you.

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 _ **A little over two years ago…**_

 _She could hear before she could see. The incessant beeping pulled her from her haze, and it took several seconds before she realized where she was._

 _She groaned and squinted her eyes open, revealing herself in a hospital bed. She tried to speak to the nurse that was writing in her chart across the room, but her throat was so dry that it sounded more like a squawk._

" _Let me get you some water before you try to speak." Emily recognized as Nurse Brenda said. After taking several long sips of water, Emily could finally talk._

" _What happened?"_

 _Nurse Brenda sighed, "I think I should first ask you what is the last things you remember?"_

 _Emily scrunched her eyebrows together, eyes immediately filling with tears as the memories came flooding back._

" _I—I remember walking to Matthew's room and I saw a lot of people going in and out of his room. Then it goes black." She stammered out._

" _That's because you passed out. Along with the intense amount of stress you've been under, you're also slightly dehydrated because of all the coffee and no sleep."_

 _Emily nodded her head, trying to process the gaps in memory. As she's sorting through the recent events, she stops when she realizes she has no idea what happened to Matthew. She remembers walking towards his room, but after seeing all of the chaos outside his room she has no memory until right now. She fears the worst when she asks,_

" _How's Matthew? What happened?"_

 _Nurse Brenda visibly cringed, taking a deep breath before saying_

" _I'm so sorry Agent Prentiss, but Matthew died yesterday morning around 3:45 am. When you walked up to his room, he was being unsuccessfully resuscitated. We knew it would be rare if he would survive the night, so it didn't come as a surprise when his heart became too stressed to recover from the accident."_

 _Brenda decided to give her some space and left the room leaving Emily, once again, alone with her thoughts. Emily isn't a fan of emotions. She is always compartmentalizing her feelings and putting off what she doesn't need to feel right now until later, but losing her best friend is too overwhelming to ignore._

 _She breaks down. She completely breaks down. The confusion of the last 24 hours hits her and she can't stop her emotions from completely taking over. She doesn't want to, but she sobs harder than she has in her entire life right there in a hospital gown in a hospital bed. By the time she stops, her eyes are swollen and she is exhausted, a familiar feeling._

 _Emily Prentiss doesn't panic, but all of a sudden she starts to feel trapped. Still alone in her room, she swings her legs over the side of the bed and pulls the IV from her hand and the EKG stickers from her chest. Emily stands up wobbly, trying to adjust to her dizziness. After looking down and realizing that she was only wearing a hospital gown, she searched the room for her clothing. She locates her plain blue jeans and black v neck tee-shirt in a clear plastic bag on the other side of the room._

 _After carefully making her way over and in her clothes, she turns to look at herself in the mirror. Her face is red and puffy, hair disheveled with bangs astray and she has coffee stains on the bottom of her jeans. Emily sighs and makes her way toward the door, holding onto walls and whatever available object she could to keep her balance._

 _She finally made it into the hallway, where she was able to walk a little bit straighter. She didn't know where she wanted to go, only that she wanted to get out of there. She walked aimlessly, not realizing until she arrived where she was; the pediatric intensive care unit._

 _Tears stinging the back of her eyes, she pushed open the doors and sat down next to where the baby was. Emily couldn't take her eyes away._

" _I'm so sorry, kid. This is all my fault." she sighed._

 _Emily held the edge of the crib where the baby was laying and fell asleep, listening to the faint beeping of the few machines across the room._

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" _Agent Prentiss….. Agent Prentiss? Please wake up." Nurse Brenda said to the still sleeping Emily_

 _Groggily, Emily grunted some sort of reply, and immediately winced when she tried to move, sleeping in a chair did not do well for her neck._

" _I thought I would find you here. You know, it's not very nice to just leave your room and not tell me."_

 _She smiled back sympathetically, still behind on sleep and emotionally exhausted._

" _Emily, there are some things we need to discuss, in regards to Matthew, Rebecca and Emilia."_

" _What is there to talk about? They died." She said back, Emily was in no mood to discuss her best friend's death._

" _Matthew and Rebecca died, and I'm sorry for your losses, but Emilia did not. Emilia is now parentless, which means she goes to the guardian that they previously designated in case this situation were to ever occur."_

 _What the nurse was saying finally dawned on Emily, and she couldn't hide her shock from her face when she said,_

" _Me."_

 _.  
.._

" _You know her middle name is my first name. Matthew and I have been friends since we were kids, and when Rebecca was pregnant he said that if it was a girl he would name it after me. I thought that it was really sweet, but incredibly unnecessary. I didn't need his offspring to have my name to know that he was my best friend."_

 _She was rambling now. The newfound knowledge of her motherhood has sent her thoughts spiraling._

" _It's fitting, you know, that she has my name as her middle name. Because I have my mother's name as my middle name, and now that I'm her mother she should have mine."_

 _She choked out the last part of her sentence, getting caught on the word "mother"_

" _I'm her mother." She managed to say before the tears started flowing down her face yet again._

 _Brenda stayed silent the entire time, listening to Emily try to cope with the new wave of news she's just given her._

" _I… I can't be her mother. I work for the FBI, I'm not home enough to take care of her. I'd be a horrible mother."_

" _I think that the only reason you have is that you won't be with her enough to take care of her, means you'll be a great mother. You can do it, Emily. And you have options. You're being discharged today, but we're going to keep Emilia here for a few more days to watch her. In the meantime, you can get settled and ready to bring her home._

" _I don't live here in Phoenix, though. I was just working a case and when it finished Matthew wanted to get together. And then, the accident happened on our way to meet."_

" _Where you live doesn't matter. As long as you can and will take care of this baby, that's all that matters. Can you do it?"_

 _Emily thought about it, really thought about her options and about what she had to do. She has no idea how to be a mother, she barely had one herself. She didn't live somewhere where she could raise a baby, her job wasn't kid friendly. But it was Matthew's kid. For a long time Matthew was the most important person in her life, she couldn't give this up. He wanted her to take his baby._

" _Yeah, I think so."_

 _.  
.._

 _The next few days had been incredibly difficult. She flew out of Phoenix and to her apartment in DC, where she had an interior designer already waiting. If she was going to do this, she was going to do this right._

 _The two hurriedly made plans, cleaned and organized Emily's small two bedroom apartment. She knew she couldn't stay there forever, but for the time being this was the best she could manage. Emily spent the night, packed more clothes and took a flight out back to Phoenix as soon as she could. She was only gone about 48 hours, but for some reason she still felt guilty. The kid didn't know she was gone, but being away from her just made her feel like she was already neglecting her._

 _Emily just felt empty. She arrived back at the hospital to collect Emilia, but couldn't get herself to leave. The doctors had already informed her of what Emilia's medical conditions are, the medicine she has to take and what to do if something happens. It was time for her to leave, but she couldn't get herself to walk out the door._

 _She came to Phoenix on a case, like she had done a dozen times in the past. She worked for the Midwestern FBI section so why wouldn't she? And every time she came she visited Matthew, why was this time any different?_

 _Matthew. Even when she thought of his name made her feel sick and want to cry all over again. Her childhood best friend, the only person she could count on in Rome, was dead. More than that, she now had the responsibility of raising his daughter. What if she did a bad job and disappointed him? The amount of doubt running through her head at any given point was extreme._

 _But now she had a kid to look after. Right now calling Emilia her daughter was too much, after all Emily wasn't even too fond of babies. But she would do anything for him, and she knew that eventually she would come to love her. It would just take some time._

.  
..

 **Present…**

Emily had never felt as much relief as she did when Emilia finally woke up. It had been several hours, many of them touch and go before she finally started to stir. The doctors said all she needed was time for her brain waves to recover from her seizer, there was nothing that could have sped the process along.

At the first sign of a twitch Emily was crying again, never really stopped if she was being honest. Even Aaron couldn't hide his excitement when Emilia started groaning and moving in the bed. When he left to tell the team the good news, they all let out a large huff of air, Morgan even gave Garcia a hug.

After the doctors had given Emily a new treatment for Emilia, she decided it was time to face the team. Since they arrived she hasn't talked to any of them, hasn't wanted to. Her daughter will always be her priority, but now that she is okay she has to take care of her second family. After several minutes of working herself up, she left the room and walked to where they were all waiting.

The moment the team saw Emily they all seemed to simultaneously stop talking, eager and not willing to miss a word.

They were all sitting in the waiting room chairs, spread out enough not to be crowded but close enough were the two farthest apart could hold a conversation. Emily used this to her advantage, by standing in front of them all with a straight back and a schooled face. She loved her team, but she was still the strong FBI agent they knew before.

Rossi opened his mouth to speak, but not before JJ cut in with a hint of venom in her voice "Emily, how could you not tell us?!" She instantly regretted it, not meaning for it to sound so harsh but knowing that's what they were all thinking.

However not missing a beat Emily put on a tight smile and said, "Emilia is fine, thank you. She's going to recover and be just as she was before, so that's great. I didn't ask for you to be here. I didn't tell you about _my_ daughter for a reason, I hope that you respect that." Pausing for a breath she continued, "Unfortunately things will be different now. I won't have to lie to you anymore so I think that's a good thing, but I don't want to be treated any different than I was a few days ago. I'm still the same Emily, that's something I also I hope you realize." Looking around, she seemed to sober up her tone when she finished with "I love you all, truly. I don't think I've really said it to you, but I think of you all more as my family than my real family, excluding Emilia. I want you all in mine and Emilia's lives. I realize that I have some growing to do as well. I'm sorry that you found out like this."

With that she turned around and walked out of the waiting room and down the hallway, not turning around until she made it back to Emilia's room. She said she would face them, she never said she would hold an actual conversation.

.  
..

It was two weeks before Emily had to be back at work, Emilia was still weak but recovering quickly, as toddlers usually do.

The team had all come and gone, mostly individually or in pairs. It was awkward at first, seeing the pair of Prentiss' together and not knowing the right thing to say. However relishing in the chance to meet the newest member was the best distraction they could ask for, although Emily had to admit it was going much better than she had planned.

But it was Aaron who made everything the easiest. He called her every day, came over on the nights when he wasn't working, cooked dinner once or twice and even learned Emilia's bed time routine so that it didn't always have to be Emily. He was the one there for her after every one of the teams' visits and after every phone call with her mother regarding the lack of knowledge about Emilia's hospitalization. He was the one who calmed her down every time she mistook Emilia for having another seizer. He was always there, and she loved it. She loves him.

If she was uncertain about her feelings before, she is anything but now. Emily can't help but think about what their life would be like if they were together, Emilia and Jack together more, living under the same roof and coming home together every night. She knows she shouldn't, but she can't help herself. Emily wants them to have a life together. Unfortunately, she has no idea if he feels the same way about her. It would make sense if he didn't, he was her boss and that kind of relationship was more than frowned about. But it would also make sense if he did, he was doing much more than was required of a boss and even a friend. She decided that the next time that he came over, she would tell him exactly how she felt

.  
..

 _Life, am I right? I've said this every time but I'm SO SORRY this took me so long. In the beginning I had a bit of block, and then I got sick for a while and was in the hospital and so I was unable to work on it. Anyways, don't want to get too much into it here but I do talk about it a little bit in my profile bio thing. There is where you can also find my twitter, tumblr, and Instagram (please follow!)_

 _I hope you enjoyed this update! I tried to make it a little longer due to the severe time gap between updates. Know that the next chapter has BIG things coming for E &A, so keep reading! As always please leave a review! They definitely motivate me more than I am. _

_I can't completely promise that my next update won't take forever like this one did, but I'm going to try my hardest. I'm taking a creative writing class and I'm learning a lot (as well as writing a lot) so I hope what I do in the future continues to get better as well._

 _Okay, this is an extremely long note so I'm just going to end with a THANK YOU to everyone who fav/followed/reviewed my story and me, you're all wonderful. If you read this far I hope you have a great day, and remember to fav/follow/review! :)_


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